The Quest for Control
by Rac80
Summary: This is a little Daniel/Vala story about Daniel deciding the best way to "handle " a relationship with Vala
1. Chapter 1

Quest for Control

Chapter 1

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

Daniel Jackson stretched his neck tiredly. It had been a long day hunched over his dusty books and manuscripts. Sometimes the translations did not come easily. He heard a noise behind him and glanced around. Vala was reclining on his sofa, with a book open beside her, snoring. He gave a half-smile as he contemplated his space pirate. She had managed to find a place at the SGC. Vala had a real aptitude for languages and alien technology which had made her invaluable to several members of the SGC. Though she had always been eager to help and share her knowledge, learning to accept help from the sometimes flighty-seeming woman had taken some of the SGC personnel awhile.

Strangely enough, it was Dr. Lee that had accepted Vala's help from the start. Daniel realized that at first, neither he nor Sam saw her as other than the fruitcake she appeared to be. Bill Lee, on the other hand, had accepted her superior knowledge of alien technologies from his first meeting with her. He had stumbled into an SG1 meeting with Landry, holding a Goa'uld device that was refusing to release his hand. Vala had rushed to Bill's side and flicked a previously unseen switch and shut it off. At that moment, she had become Dr. Lee's favorite coworker. Daniel had to admit that Dr. Lee's complete acceptance of Vala had nothing to do with her astounding good looks but with her astonishing intellect. At any given moment there would be a call for Vala to assist Dr. Lee with some new piece of technology he couldn't figure out. Bill had gotten into the habit of consulting Vala before he talked to Sam. Daniel had to admit that Vala's knowledge of several uncommon Goa'uld dialects was unexpected and very welcome.

Vala snorted a bit and slumped further down into the sofa. She turned slightly onto her side and cuddled into the pillows. Standing over her on the sofa, he realized how important Vala had become to him. With all the demands on her time from the scientists; she still stopped by his office to make sure he had eaten and was going to get some sleep. Initially, he had thought it was boredom that drove her to "bother" him but lately he had noticed the genuine concern in her eyes. There was "something" between them, he knew that. He was just not quite sure what it was. He worried about her too, he cared for her, and he knew she had made remarkable changes in her life here at the SGC. Somehow his days weren't complete unless he saw her several times. He admitted to himself that there had been days when he had gone looking for her. He had become protective of her, watching that she ate and got sleep and relaxed. Daniel had recently admitted to himself that he was willing to take a chance with his heart again, then he had realized that he already gave it away…to Vala. He needed to figure out how this was going to work.

Daniel walked to his closet and pulled out a blanket. He felt tired and was going to his quarters. He carefully covered Vala, moved her book, and turned out the light as he left, closing the door softly behind him.

"Jackson!" at the bellow Daniel turned, Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell came jogging up to him in the hallway. "where's your girl?"

"You mean Vala?" Daniel responded to Cam, ignoring the eye-rolling.

"yeah Jackson, Vala, you know your girl? Your shadow? The woman who is always at your side?" Cam couldn't keep the sarcasm from his voice. "Sam needs to ask her some stuff"

Daniel ignored Cam's attitude, "Vala is sleeping right now, Dr. Lee has been working her non-stop with the cache from P3X-987. She stopped by my office to talk and fell asleep."

"Well Sam needs her now! " Cam headed for Daniel's office door. Daniel reflexively grabbed Cam's arm.

"She needs her rest, Sam can wait until tomorrow" Daniel stared into Cam's eyes. "Let her sleep ok?"

Cam stared into Daniel's eyes, seeing the other man's worry for Vala in them. "okie-dokie Jackson, but I'm telling Sam that you made the call." Cam winked at Daniel and jogged away.

Daniel heard the door open and turned to see a very sleepy Vala staring at him. "Did I fall asleep again Daniel? Was someone asking for me?"

"Nothing earth-shaking, get some sleep, you look beat." Daniel tried to hide his smile.

"Is that an offer, Dr. Jackson?" Vala practically purred as she ran a finger down the front of his shirt. "Are you going to take advantage of me?"

Daniel looked into Vala's gray eyes and found himself falling, it would be so easy to kiss her. He mentally shook himself and smiled gently at Vala, "you couldn't stay awake long enough to enjoy it. You are beat and need rest." He took her by the elbow and began to steer her towards her quarters. "you need to learn to say no to Bill, Sam, and the other scientists who are wearing you out."

"Daniel, they need my help. I need to prove to Landry and ….everyone else…" Vala glanced under her lashes at Daniel's face. "that I can be an asset to the SGC. "

Daniel stopped outside Vala's quarters, "you don't need to prove yourself anymore, you have a home here." He took her ID out of her hand and swiped her door entry with it. He nudged the door open, and gently urged her forward. Following her in, he realized it was the first time he had been in her quarters. He covertly glanced around, not sure of what to expect. It held the usual Air Force standard furniture, but there was a decided Vala twist. The bedding, curtains (there were no windows, just curtains hiding a gray wall), and even the rugs were obviously not standard issue. The room looked lacey and very floral. There were soft rugs underfoot and a pair of fuzzy slippers peeking from under the bed. The floral curtains softened the room, and was that flowers he saw on her bureau?

Vala was standing very still warily watching Daniel as he looked over her room. She wondered if he was going to take her up on her half-joking offer. Daniel turned and smiled at her. "Very homey Vala, very you." Vala visibly relaxed and smiled "you know darling, a girl has to have her own space" she smiled flirtatiously at Daniel as she sauntered across the room.

Daniel kept smiling at her as he realized that she was still very insecure her place in his life and at the SGC. He met her in the middle of the room and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Daniel smiled at the shocked look on her face as he said goodnight. He quickly left the room, leaving Vala standing in the middle of the room staring at him speechless. Daniel paused outside the door and smiled. He had finally gotten in the last word with his space pirate and all it had taken was a kiss.

Once inside his own quarters, Daniel continued thinking about what happened in Vala's room as he got ready for bed. He had finally gotten the upper hand with Vala and it had only taken a kiss. He had been very careful to not do anything to encourage her advances, but she wouldn't stop teasing him. With one quick kiss, he had reset the balance in their relationship. He wasn't sure how she was going to react, but he had decided it was time to see where things led. Daniel knew he felt vulnerable and that Vala could really hurt him, but he was tired of fighting his attraction for her. Slow and easy, with him in charge was the way to go. By making the first move tonight, Daniel hoped to set the pace of the relationship. With that happy thought Daniel drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

4

Chapter 2

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

Vala was still standing in the middle of her room staring at the door five minutes after Daniel left. Had Daniel just kissed her? Without her kissing him first, one of them being injured, or lost? Vala stared at the door a moment longer and then shook her head. If she lived another 100 years she would never, ever figure out Daniel Jackson.

After a restless night, Vala awoke grumpy and feeling out of control. Since the Tok'ra had removed Qetesh from her body, Vala had made sure she was in control of every aspect of her life. She needed control at any price, even using her body from time to time to control others. Since joining the SGC, Vala had still felt in control. Scientists like Bill Lee appreciated her knowledge, the military personnel were always good for a casual laugh or discussion of battle tactics, and the cooking staff was always showing her what would be a great snack. It was only Daniel that she still felt out of control around. His blue eyes seemed to pierce her very soul and she always felt he could see through her every defense and she wasn't sure he liked what he saw. It made her more outrageous than usual. She wasn't really the sexual flirt that she became around Daniel. She just didn't want him to look too closely at her for fear he might not like what he saw.

"now Vala get a grip" Vala faced herself in the mirror. "that kiss was… it was….. well I am not sure what it was, but Daniel didn't mean anything by it I am sure!." Smiling at mirror, Vala adjusted her soft blue sweater and turned for the door. "now if I can just figure out what he is up to!" Vala tugged her door open.

"who are you talking to Vala?" Daniel was standing in her doorway, hands braced on either side of the door. He glanced into the room. "no one huh?" His mischievous grin left her speechless. Daniel leaned towards her and gently kissed her on the lips. "Good morning Vala, how did you sleep?" Daniel straightened and leaned against the doorjamb.

Vala slowly closed her door and moved to stand in front of Daniel. He seemed so smug this morning! Time to show Dr. Jackson who was in charge.

"Hello darling" Vala moved until their bodies were almost touching and she could feel his breath in her hair. "did you sleep well? My night could have been better….if you were there." She slid a hand up his chest and pressed one finger to his chin. Vala waited for Daniel's usual brush off.

Daniel looked into Vala's eyes and realized she was trying to regain the upper hand. He realized that if they were going to have a relationship, it would only happen once she stopped using defense mechanisms. Time to upset the balance again. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He breathed in the scent of her hair and nuzzled her cheek on his way to finding her lips again. This time the kiss was anything but brief and casual. He indulged himself in enjoying the feel of her body against his and the fire that her lips were igniting on his. Both of Daniel's arms wrapped around Vala and she found herself hanging on to him for support. Damn that archaeologist could kiss! Vala found herself lost in his kiss.

Time seemed to stand still for Daniel as he found himself devouring her mouth. He had never felt this way with a woman before, as if he HAD to have her and only her. He had loved Sha're with all of his idealistic heart. She had shown him the first real love and family he had found since his parents deaths. Had the Goa'uld not taken her, he would have happily remained with her for the rest of his days. But Sha're was a far cry from Vala, each woman had their own strengths and each appealed to him in a different way. While he loved Sha're, he had never felt she was his equal intellectually. Whereas he had days where he wasn't sure that he was Vala's equal in any way; she always kept him guessing.

"WOAH!!! What is going on here! " Cam's bellow caused Vala to jump, but instead of completely releasing Vala, Daniel left one arm around her as he turned to Cam.

"Just saying good morning, Cam" Daniel couldn't tell who was more surprised by his jaunty reply, Vala or Cam. "Did you need us for anything?" Still holding on to Vala, Daniel turned and headed towards the mess hall.

Cam followed the couple with narrowed eyes, he and Jackson were going to have to have a "talk". He had "the band back together" and the "extra back-up singer" and he LIKED it that way. When he thought of those frustrating weeks before he convinced Jackson, Sam, and Teal'c to return to SG1, well- he was not going to let a little romance screw it up! He and Jackson were going to have that talk and soon!

Vala silently walked beside Daniel trying to figure out what was happening. She enjoyed being close to Daniel, but was unsure just what he was up to. How did he get the upper hand this time? And did he really mean what he was doing? Was he simply trying to scare her off? If he didn't mean it, how would she survive the broken heart?

Daniel was enjoying the silence from both Cam and Vala. He was sure he could hear her thinking as she was walking beside him. He knew that Cam was dying to have a "talk" with him about how this was going to affect the "team dynamics". Daniel also noticed the looks from the other personnel they passed. Yes he was often with Vala, but he usually didn't have one arm holding her to him rather possessively. Daniel decided he didn't care how everyone else was reacting, the fact that Vala was quietly going along with him was key. He had taken back control, for now.

***A/N*** thanks for the reviews… this will be it for a couple of weeks (if the bunny lets me do my coursework! :P) so enjoy! R&R please.


	3. Chapter 3

5

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again. *****

A/N_ this chapter is really just a filler, it rambles, sorry. But the next chapter will be clearer I promise!

Chapter 3

Vala heard the buzz of her alarm and quickly shut it off. It was an hour before she usually rose and she had to make her escape quickly. As she hurriedly showered and dressed, being as quiet as she knew how, she mentally cursed the fact that Daniel was just down the hall from her. In the past, having Daniel so close had made her feel very safe, but today it made her get away very difficult. In a record 15 minutes she was ready to leave her quarters. With her boots in hand, she peered out her door. With the coast being clear, she quickly headed away from Daniel's door and made her escape. Stopping briefly in the mess hall to put on her boots and grab a paper sack of food prepared for her by one of the staff, Vala made her way to Samantha Carter's lab. Leaning against the wall, nearly asleep was Bill Lee.

"Hey Bill, I appreciate this" Vala smiled her thanks as Bill opened the lab. With Sam gone for the next few weeks on a shake-down cruise of _the_ _General Hammond_, her lab was the perfect place for Vala to get some time to think.

"If you would like Vala, I can disable the cameras in here for you" Bill nervously followed her into the lab. He wasn't worried about Vala breaking anything, but he knew when Daniel found out who was helping her hide from him, there would be an explosion. The entire base had been buzzing about the "Daniel-Vala thing" that was going on. Bets were being recorded, money was changing hands, and they had become the SGC's very own reality show. It was a common occurrence to hear Mitchell bellowing "C'mon Jackson…in HERE?" Vala was quieter than anyone had seen her, rarely flirting with anyone, missing all of the opportunities for double-entendres, a big laugh, or just a wink. Daniel Jackson on the other hand seemed very self-satisfied and smug. Insufferably so according to Vala. Bill had noticed that Vala had taken to muttering about Daniel under her breath when working. But despite the complaints from Vala, she was often seen in Daniel's company or rather his arms. He seemed to be always touching her now. She seemed content to be there, but later Bill would catch her grumbling. "I know you need time to think Vala, if you would like I can sneak you food later today" Bill stood nervously by the door.

"Thanks Bill, you are an angel! How about a couple of bottles of fruit juice too? "Vala made herself at home in Sam's lab, unlocking the door to the tiny restroom that was shared with Bill Lee's lab to pick up the small overnight bag she had stashed there yesterday. Sam's lab, like Daniel's office, had a sofa with a couple of pillows and blankets kept in a storage closet. There were times of crisis when the scientists of the SGC bedded down in their labs. "Cozy isn't it" Vala threw a smile over her shoulder to Bill.

Bill watched Vala with a puzzled expression, he knew she was crazy for Daniel but she didn't seem to be happy with Daniel now acting crazy for her. He had never figured out women, maybe that was why he was divorced. He mumbled a quick promise to sneak her food and juice later and left. Vala looked at the door that Bill closed and shrugged. Some men …..

She continued settling into Sam's lab, turning on the computer, putting on her earphones and turning on her iPod, it would never do for Daniel to walk by Sam's lab and hear music with Sam gone. Vala settled in to browse the world-wide web.

Meanwhile…

Daniel smirked to himself as he showered. He had Vala all confused now and it was the way for him to stay in control of both her and their relationship. He planned a nice leisurely breakfast with Vala, preceded by some necking in her quarters, followed by some necking…working in his office. He laughed a bit at himself for feeling like a horny teenager. Vala brought out a side of him that no one had ever done before. Even Sha're hadn't gotten him feeling so out of control. He wasn't comfortable being so out of control, knowing that just a look from Vala was going to turn him completely on. She used her flirtatious ways to try to control others around her, he saw that. He didn't want to be just one of the ones she felt she had to control. He wanted to be the one she lost control for.

Daniel rapped on Vala's door, no answer. He rapped again "Vala it's me, time for breakfast", Still nothing from her room. He looked around to see that he was alone then slipped the master copy of the keycard for the base out of his wallet. Many years ago, he had acquired one, mainly because he kept losing the ones to his office and quarters. It had made things much easier over the years. He swiped Vala's door lock and quietly entered. He was surprised to find the room empty. The bed was neatly made, but there was no sign of Vala. She's probably eating Daniel decided as he left her rooms. He went to the commissary for breakfast and distractedly ate as he kept looking around for Vala. He also looked for the friends she had made to see if she was with one of them. There was Lt. Alice Graham, they often shopped together. That was Mary something who Val insisted had a beautiful singing voice, near her was Jason Brown and Katherine …something who often sparred with Vala. Daniel realized that she simply wasn't there. He left his breakfast half finished, took his coffee cup and decided to see if one of the scientists had her working already. He smiled to himself as he left the room, he had been keeping Vala pretty close to himself and had heard the grumbles of a few scientists about that. She really was brilliant, but he, Daniel, had decided he deserved her help more than any one else did for awhile. Daniel decided to make the rounds of the "usual suspects', the scientists who had come to rely on her help. His first stop was going to be Bill Lee; he had always been the most persistent in seeking her help. As Daniel marched through the corridors her heard a loud bang coming from the lab section and began running. If there was chaos he was sure Vala would be there. This time he was wrong, Bill Lee was unconscious due to an explosion Dr. Kelley insisted was not her fault. But there was no Vala. As Bill was taken to the infirmary, Daniel asked if anyone else had seen Vala and no one had.

Daniel stopped outside his office door, irritated but unsure why. As he entered he realized that he was ….worried….yep he was _worried _about Vala. Daniel barely made it to his chair and slumped into it. Why on earth should he be worried about Vala, he should be worried that she would hurt someone, steal something, and cause an international incident or something. Hell, she could be _with_ someone, a MALE someone. Daniel clenched a fist, there was that Marine on SG 7 who was always calling "hi Vala" as they passed in the hallways, complimenting her even when Daniel had his arm firmly around her. Then there was that aide from the Pentagon who was always very solicitous whenever he saw Vala, offering to show her around… Daniel then realized he was growling in the back of his throat. Wait a minute, was he jealous? Daniel stopped to think….

A/N--- read and review… thanks. :D


	4. Chapter 4

4

Chapter 4

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

A/N—this is turning out to be longer than I thought. This chapter also may seem to ramble but isn't that true of life!

Daniel didn't know if he had ever felt like this before. As a child he had been jealous of kids whose parents were still alive, as an awkward teenager in college he had been jealous of the confidence the older guys had, but jealous in a relationship? Daniel hadn't been worried about losing Sha're on Abydos; he felt he was exceptional compared to the other men there. But here, in the SGC, he knew there were men smarter than him, better looking than him, better fighters, and even much richer than he could ever hope to be. He didn't know why he hadn't been worried before, maybe because she was blatant about her attraction to him. But now that she "had him", was she bored? Ready to move on? Daniel slammed his fist on the desk. This was exactly WHY he hadn't wanted to get involved with Vala; he feared she would hurt him. No he KNEW she was just playing with him and would hurt him badly. Daniel held his head in his hands and noticed a piece of pink paper under the edge of the book he had left on his desk last night. He reached for it, recognizing the stationery that Cam's mother, Wendy, had sent Vala for Christmas last year. After her visit a couple of years ago to the Mitchells' home, Vala and Cam's mom had become good friends, with Wendy treating Vala like the daughter she never had; sending little presents through Cam frequently for Vala. Vala adored the gifts and would often beg a ride to the mall to shop for "Mom Mitchell" as she called Wendy.

Daniel nervously unfolded the paper, in Vala's handwriting (she had obviously been practicing) was a message for him; Darling, I need to go away for a bit. Stay out of trouble and don't get blown up. Love Vala.

Daniel let a long breath out, "Darling", she called him "Darling". So she wasn't off with some other guy. He hung his head over the desk and felt his blood pressure return to normal. Ok this was not good, getting all worked up over the whereabouts of a fruitcake! When had it come to this with him? Things had been so good the past few weeks; he had Vala with him all the time, could hold her or kiss whenever the urge struck him, and even taken her out to a few nice romantic dinners in town. They had a memorable long weekend in New Orleans; Vala enjoyed the scenery, the jazz, and the local flea markets. They hadn't taken their relationship to "the next level" yet, Daniel wanted things to go slow and Vala hadn't objected. That, in and of itself, should have surprised him. Vala had not been shy in the past about wanting a sexual relationship with Daniel.

Daniel groaned, oh hell he was confused!

In Sam's lab:

Vala had heard the explosion over her iPod and peeked into Bill's lab to make sure he was ok. She quickly locked the door of the connecting bathroom and sat quietly. The walls were too thick to hear anything distinctly in the hall or Bill's lab. She chanced a quick peek and saw Daniel's backside moving away. She sighed; he has such a nice backside, and a nice front side too if she must be honest. That was the problem really, Daniel was so nice! Too nice for her really, he was going to realize that again and hurt her badly. Vala was unsure by the recent change in Daniel's attitude towards her. He had gone from pushing her away to holding her close in the blink of an eye.

While she enjoyed the touching and kissing, oh yeah the kissing…. being held close to Daniel, breathing in his scent, exploring his mouth with her own, one hand running through his hair, feeling his hard body… oh my now she was feeling hot! Vala got up and quietly walked around the room. What in hell was she going to do???? Daniel Jackson could destroy her composure with one look from those blue eyes of his. He had this way of glancing sideways at her that made her want to start ripping his clothes off. If she caught him at it, he would quickly look away, pretending he hadn't been staring at her. He didn't seem to realize that she could _feel_ him looking at her. She always was aware where Daniel was in relation to her. Yes, usually that was fairly close to her, but still….it was as if she had Daniel-radar. Vala groaned and plopped onto Sam's couch.

She knew she cared for Daniel, BUT and this was a huge but, Vala didn't like feeling so out-of-control and unsure. Daniel was not the type of man she usually got involved with; he wasn't a mark. The last real relationship Vala had was as a teenager, and then Qetesh took her as a host… Vala shrugged away the unpleasant memories. Tomin, while she cared for him, didn't really count as she basically used him.

She needed to consult more of the women's magazines Carolyn read. One of them should tell her how a relationship was to be conducted on Earth. Daniel didn't seem to conform to the men she had read about in the magazines. He wasn't jumping from bed to bed, always looking for the next woman to sleep with. He didn't seem to need a fancy car or be worried about the size of his penis. Vala began to wonder how "typical" of Earth men Daniel was. What she needed was a woman to talk to, not just a woman but an older woman. She jumped off the sofa and headed for the telephone…


	5. Chapter 5

4

Chapter 5

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

A/N -- this chapter deals with Cam and his reaction to the Daniel/Vala relationship…. It explains why he seemed worried.

"What!!!!" Cameron Mitchell rolled over and answered the phone. "Sorry mom I just didn't expect a call at 430 in the morning. Is everything ok at home?"

Cam sat up and fumbled for the light. He listened to his mom, trying to wake up enough to be coherent. "You want me to what? Beat the snot out of Daniel Jackson? Hold on a minute mom! Yes ma'am I know you and daddy always raised me to protect a woman, wait…… Vala is NOT my sister! Yes Ma'am I know you care about her, yes Ma'am I know you always wanted a little girl, but Mom, Vala is nothing like you…..... I do not want to hear your sixties' stories Mom so I will take your word for it."

Cam huffed and listened as his mother extolled the virtues of Vala. "Wait a minute where does beating up Jackson come in? You gals talked 7 hours last night? She was crying? Wait a minute, Vala? Are you sure you have this right Mom, Daniel has been by her side constantly lately. Oh ok, I will listen…..…uh huh…..…. Really? They went to New Orleans and he never…….every time she wants to talk he kisses her? Mom I do not need to hear this!! Ok just leave the details out ok?"

Cam settled in to listen to his mom vent, good thing she didn't know where to find Daniel, lucky for Daniel! "No, I don't think he is leading her on Mom. Yes he is an archeologist, no not like Professor Gibbons more like Indiana Jones. No Mom he is not a womanizer, he is rather shy. He's been married, not divorced-- widowed, no kids, just your typical geek. Always has his nose in a book. Do I think he cares for Vala, hell Mom, excuse me, heck Mom everyone we work with have known those two are nuts about each other since the beginning. There is a huge betting pool at work….…Ok Mom, I will talk to Daniel and make sure he knows to treat Vala well, he will Mom, Daniel is not the type to use or abuse women. Mom, I am not going to beat him up! No Mom I won't give you his phone number!" Cam almost felt sorry for Jackson; he had "hurt" his mom's newest "baby" and would pay if he wasn't careful.

"Wait a minute Mom, she called you? On the telephone? Do you know where she is? What do you mean by nunya? Daniel has been wondering where she is…. . Sheesh mom, Oh ….ok…. I promise I won't tell Daniel where Vala is or that she called you." Cam hung up the telephone.

Damn he knew this Daniel-Vala thing could break up the "band". He admitted that Jackson, at least, had seemed happier over the past few weeks if the number of times he had come upon them necking in the SGC was anything to go by. Vala had always looked a bit stunned; Cam had attributed that to her having finally "caught" Daniel after years of trying. According to his mother though, Vala was confused, not sure what Daniel's intentions were, worried that he was only using her. Cam snorted; Vala obviously didn't understand Jackson as much as she thought she did. Jackson had no intention of "using" anyone; it was obvious that was just Vala's own insecurities talking. Cam looked at the clock, 524 am, there was no way he was getting any more sleep, and headed for his shower.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, Cam got out of his car at the mountain. A hot shower and breakfast at Denny's had prepared him for finding Daniel Jackson and discovering what was really going on! Wandering the corridors, Cam looks for both Vala and Daniel. He realized Vala must be on base since she hadn't signed out to go off base. He wonders if Daniel has figured that out yet. Cam chuckles to himself, Vala sure was leading Daniel around by the nose.

Coming around a corner, Cam catches a glimpse of thick black hair entering Sam's lab. That's where she's hiding, Cam smiles and begins whistling "Man-eater" as he walks by the door. Now to find Jackson…. . . .

Cam finally stopped at the commissary and Jackson staring at into his coffee cup looking for the meaning of life.

"Jackson! Wake up" Cam pulled up a chair. "How are you doing?"

Daniel looked at him distractedly, "where's Vala? Have you seen her?'

Cam snorted, "You are hooked man! Totally hooked! Do you think she is hiding in your coffee cup? We need to go have a lil chat sunshine, c'mon"

Daniel left his cold coffee on the table and followed Cam out. Once inside Daniel's office, Cam took a seat in front of the desk while Daniel seemed to wander around the room. He stopped to look at the sofa where Vala liked to nap and finally sat in his office chair. Off came Daniel's glasses as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Cam watched Daniel with pity in his eyes, "you know Jackson I have wanted to have a chat with you about your girlfriend "situation" and it looks like the time is now. I don't want to rain on your parade, but after all the effort it took to get the band back together; I don't want a Fleetwood Mac effect."

"Huh? Fleetwood what? What in hell are you talking about?" Daniel put his glasses back on, totally lost.

"Fleetwood Mac, the band, you know?" Cameron had forgotten exactly how much of a nerd Jackson was. "Well they were a great 70's band with a married couple as members and when that couple divorced, it destroyed the band. Sheesh didn't you ever do anything normal?"

"What does that have to do with me and Vala? We aren't going to get divorced when we do get married…." Daniel stopped; he looked like he had just been hit with a zat. "oh shit, shit, SHIT!!" Daniel leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.


	6. Chapter 6

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

*******A/N—this takes place approximately a year after _Unending_….Vala had said in _The Powers That Be_ (season 9) that she had been free from Qetesh for 4 years at that point.

Chapter 6

Daniel couldn't look Mitchell in the eye, the man was laughing like a fool. "damn Mitchell would you stop that braying?" Daniel felt his headache get stronger. This would require more than more coffee to stop it. How was he going to solve this, falling in love with Vala and trying to decide if she was serious about him? He wondered if the universe was laughing at him.

"Well Jackson, you need to get things straightened out with her, she is confused…." Cam stopped at the look on Daniel's face.

"Where in hell is she? Have you been talking to her?" Daniel stood facing Cam. Cam wasn't sure if Daniel was thinking of taking a shot at him.

"Calm down big boy! Your girl spent last night talking to my mother, and YOU were the topic of interest." Cam decided that teasing Jackson wasn't a good idea with Jackson in this mood. "Mom was worried that you were going hurt Vala." Cam waited to see how Daniel would respond.

"I would never hurt her…..wait a minute, your mom talked to her last night?" The pieces began to fall into place with Daniel. He grabbed Cam by the shoulders. "Where is she? She is on the base isn't she?"

"Whoa Jackson, I have no inside information." Cam decided to let Daniel find Vala for himself. "You get to play Sherlock alone." Cam quickly exited Daniel's office. Daniel sat down and tried to figure out where Vala was hiding.

Meanwhile…..Vala had her iPod turned on as she lay in the dark on Sam's laboratory couch trying to snooze. Her life had been completely out of her control since Jasec had brought home that viper, Adria, to be her "new mother". Vala had been still mourning the loss of her beloved mother and felt very betrayed by Jasec's quick remarriage. Adria had not liked the reminder of Jasec's first wife and had made Vala's life impossible until she had literally sold Vala to Qetesh. The one satisfaction Vala received from that transaction was watching Qetesh kill Adria; Qetesh disliked feeling indebted to anyone. During her time as a host there had been no control in Vala's life. Qetesh had used her body, her friends, and her life as she chose. In the past six years of her freedom, Vala had maintained rigid control over every aspect of her life, until the Ori impregnated her with the Orici. Once again her life was out of her control. Vala did not want to lose control again.

Daniel, oh Daniel…. He would never purposely hurt her, but still, she wanted to know that the choices she made were _hers_, not the whim of another. When Daniel acted as he had over the past few weeks, Vala seemed to lose all backbone. If he wanted to kiss her, she let him. If he wanted a platonic trip to New Orleans, she didn't try to seduce him. What in hell was wrong with her? She should have put on that sexy red lace negligee she packed and waltz right into his room. Even if she had ended up alone that night, she would have gotten back her confidence. That was the whole problem in fact. With Daniel behaving this way, she didn't want to do anything to "ruin" his mood. Wendy had advised her to "be yourself, don't worry about losing him, if he doesn't love you the way you are, then he doesn't love the real you." She really envied Cam his mom. Wendy reminded her of her own mother, kind, caring, full of good advice, and the ability to giggle. Vala knew that Wendy was right; she just needed a bit of time away from Daniel to get used to not being with him so if he didn't like the real her she could survive.

Vala groaned and rolled over. Who in hell was she kidding? Not herself. If Daniel didn't want her, it would break her heart. She would leave Earth, maybe work at the Alpha site, she wouldn't want to see him, hear him, and not be with him everyday. Maybe she would leave the Stargate program altogether. She loved the life she had made here; the friends, the fun, the useful work, and not worrying about getting stabbed or jumped by those you worked with. There was a security here she had never found before. It was because of Daniel, but had turned into being content for a host of other reasons. She decided that if Daniel didn't want her, she would not leave Stargate Command. She had friends like Sam, Cam & his family, Muscles, Alice, Mary, Jace and Kathy, even Bill Lee. She was not going to allow someone else's actions determine where she lived and worked! If things with Daniel fell apart, she was still staying here, it was her HOME now. Having made that decision, Vala closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Daniel checked the notepad on his desk-- mumbling to himself, "Bill's Lab, the commissary, the ladies' locker (have to ask Carolyn to check), oh the infirmary…maybe she is hiding in a quarantine room, any of the gyms, the base library…." Still mumbling Daniel left his office.


	7. Chapter 7

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

Chapter 7

It had been two days since Daniel Jackson had begun systematically searching the base for Vala. He had hit a brick wall. Every now and then he thought he caught a glimpse of her in the distance only for the person to either not be her or to disappear. He had grilled Bill Lee to no avail. Bill said he was a friend of Vala's and he owed her loyalty. Then he walked away. Daniel had never felt such a strong urge scream before. Why would no one assist him in finding one space-pirate-vixen? He sat at his desk simply staring into space. He couldn't remember when he last slept or ate. He wasn't even completely sure why Vala being away from him upset him so. He knew she was safe, he knew she was okay, so what was the big deal? Suddenly a hot cup of coffee was slid under his nose.

"Good morning, Darling, here's your coffee." Vala just smiled her brightest smile at Daniel and waited for his response. She wasn't disappointed, Daniel jumped from his chair and practically vaulted the desk to envelope her in a hug.

"Vala!" Daniel began kissing her passionately. "Where have you been? Do you know how I have missed you? Don't ever leave me like that again!" Daniel interspersed barely coherent sentences with his kisses. His hands roaming her body as if to assure him she was really there.

Vala enjoyed his attention, but knew she needed to have a serious talk with one archeologist. She slowly eased her mouth away from his. Daniel was not deterred and began kissing her jaw line and down her neck. Vala stretched her neck, giving him better access and then realized that she was allowing him to control this reunion. She pulled back again and stepped away from him, one hand firmly on his chest pushing him away.

"Daniel, as much as I am enjoying this, we need to talk, NOW." Vala eyed Daniel from a distance, watching him slowly get a grip on himself. His hands kept flexing as if eager to reach for her again, his eyes were devouring her. She pushed the plate of breakfast pastries closer to his coffee cup, "sit and eat darling, drink your coffee, and let me do the talking for once."

Daniel rolled his eyes but walked back to his chair, took a seat, and grabbed a donut. He watched Vala pace, she seemed a bit nervous, that was not like his Vala at all, but he was determined to allow her to do this at her own speed. He had missed her more than he realized and had some pretty important things to say to her as well.

Vala tried to get a grip on her emotions. Daniel's joy at seeing her had totally distracted her from what she wanted to say. She took a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her BDU's. She quickly glanced over her list muttering to herself. "Wendy says I can do this, I have the right to state my opinions, and this must be a relationship of equals." Across the room listening to her mutter, Daniel frowned a bit…. Who was "Wendy"? When did Vala begin making lists? He watched her pace in the extremely tight top and low-rise BDU's, those could not be standard issue, not one of the other women on based looked as good as she did in them.

Vala seemed to gather her thoughts and face Daniel "Daniel darling, I needed time to myself to think about what is between us." To Daniel this didn't sound like Vala's words, but decided to hear her out and grabbed another pastry.

"I wanted time to decide what it is I want from you" Vala frowned at Daniel when she heard him mutter "sex", so he decided to shut up. "I do want more than sex Darling; I just tease you because you blush so sweetly." Vala smiled as the flush spread across Daniel's cheeks. "Back on topic, darling. You have always intrigued me, from the first moment on the Prometheus." Vala winked at Daniel and watched him blush again. "It wasn't just the fact you are gorgeous, but who you are. Daniel," Vala stopped pacing and faced him. "You are the kindest and most caring person I have ever met. You are so good that you inspire me to be good; you make me believe I can have friends, family, and even a home again. I now want everything Qetesh took from me; everything I believed was lost to me forever." Daniel stared at the tears shining in Vala's eyes.

Vala took a deep breath and continued, "But, and there is a huge but here. I want us to be a relationship of equals. All throughout our relationship, it has totally been on your terms." Vala regained her composure, resumed pacing, and began talking faster. "you were always the one setting the pace, saying yes or no, deciding when we did whatever we did, you decided it was time for a hug, time for a kiss, or time to be distant. MY needs never mattered. Even when we went out to eat, YOU were the one who decided whether it was a 'date' or not. I had… I have no control and that is not fair at all." Vala folded her arms across her chest and positively glared at Daniel.

He took another sip of his coffee and waited for Vala to continue. She simply glared at him for a few more seconds and then resumed pacing. "I really have come to…. Oh damn I shouldn't, but Wendy said it is perfectly acceptable" Vala had her back to Daniel muttering. Daniel waited to see just what "Wendy" thought was appropriate.

Vala spun around and placed her hands on her hips, "Daniel, I think I , no I know I love you. I want to know how you feel about me and whether or not we can have a relationship of equals." Vala waited breathlessly for Daniel's response. He finished his coffee and then stood up, walking slowly to stand in front of her. Daniel looked into Vala's gray eyes; he had never noticed how bottomless they seemed before.

"Vala, I have always been intrigued by you. Soft and sweet one moment, then knocking me on my ass the next. A mass of contradictions. You are simply a beautiful, exciting woman and I am a geek, a nerd, a scholar, not the type of man I thought you would be interested in."

Vala huffed "oh Daniel, I like nice, sweet, and gentle men, you and Tomin had that in common. Bad boys never did it for me; maybe because I have seen too much true evil in my life." Vala explained.

He raised a finger and placed it gently over her lips. "Let me finish please." When Vala kissed his finger then drew back he continued. "I am not a wealthy or powerful man; I am just a scholar who gets lost in ruins, in books, in the past. I will forget about dinner appointments, I will not notice a new dress, I will become so involved in my research that I will forget everything, including you, and then you will leave me. You will be tired of feeling alone and unwanted, that is my history, Vala, and a woman like you, who is so vibrant and full of life, will tire of me very quickly. "

Vala's eyes flared with anger "see this is the problem, you are making the decisions. Don't you think you should ask me what I want from a man, from my life with him? You are making my decisions again, the decisions about our relationship." She began to pace agitatedly again. "damn it Daniel, this is about us, not simply you. This is my life too. It's obvious you find me to be shallow and self-centered so you don't trust me, but I refuse to be simply a passive person in this relationship."

"No one would ever describe you as passive Vala" Daniel interjected. "But I know my history and …."

"You do not know what I will do, Darling" Vala stalked toward Daniel. "Have you ever been able to ignore me for any length of time? I will not permit that" Vala smirked at him. "I know what you are like; I have been here three years. I know you get involved, I know you forget to eat and sleep, but Darling, I will not forget you. Do I go looking for others to entertain me? No, I bring you meals and coffee; I pull you out of your dusty books and into the sunshine, and I make sure you get sleep as well as exercise. I am not asking you to change, just admit that I have a say in this relationship too. I am tired of fighting for every inch from you. I will always be your friend Daniel, but…." Vala swallowed hard, she knew she was leaving herself wide open for pain with this. "I want to be your lover, your partner, and your equal." Vala braced herself for Daniel's response.

A/N--- sorry to leave it here, but the chapter was getting too long… more coming soon!


	8. Chapter 8

4

Chapter 8

***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

Daniel watched Vala warily. He needed to say things to her just right. He knew that sometimes, despite being a linguist, he couldn't find the right words. This was the most important conversation of his life and he needed to get it exactly right. Daniel took a deep breath and went back to his chair.

"I have been an asshole Vala, can you forgive me?" He glanced at Vala and tried to give her his best "little-boy-apology" look. "I have been scared of trusting you with my heart. Look at you! You are gorgeous, intelligent, witty, adventurous, and just plain fun. I am simply a geek who does research. I am so stupid that I didn't realize how you have been taking care of me until you just enumerated it!"

Daniel removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I can't promise I won't ignore you, that we won't argue, that I won't be so wrapped up in what happens here" Daniel's arms seemed to encompass the whole SGC "that I will forget that what happens here" this time Daniel's hands indicated between them "is the most important part of my life." He put his glasses back on and stood up.

Daniel stalked around the desk towards Vala. "What I can promise is that my heart will always be only yours; that you will always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me; that I will only find home in your eyes and heart." Daniel smiled into Vala's gray eyes.

Vala's eyes began to fill with tears. Daniel pulled her into his arms and she began to sob into his shirt. "shhh, shhhh, _cara mia,_ it's okay, I am here." Daniel, felt at a loss with her tears. He thought he had said the right things and yet he screwed it up again. "I'm sorry if I said anything wrong…" Daniel found his lips captured by Vala's. He suddenly found himself being thoroughly kissed by his space-vixen and he enjoyed it. He felt like it had been weeks instead of merely 4 days since he had kissed her. Daniel threw himself wholeheartedly into the kiss. He couldn't seem to get close enough to her.

"Damn it Jackson, you could at least close the door!" Cam Mitchell's voice interrupted them. He sauntered into the room. "So princess can you tell my mom that Daniel is being good so she will stop bugging me to beat him up?"

Daniel looked at Vala with confusion "why would Cam's mom want me beaten up?"

Vala giggled "oh I talked to Wendy the other night, well I vented really and she gave me some excellent advice." Vala reached up and caressed the side of Daniel's neck. He nuzzled her hand and then turned to face Mitchell.

"We are on stand down for a while aren't we/" Daniel inquired. At Cam's nod he turned to Vala. "What would you like to do for the next few days?"

"Anything, Darling?" Vala grinned mischievously at Daniel as she ran a finger down his shirt front. "Can we do whatever I want?"

Daniel closed his eyes briefly and thought in for a penny in for a pound, "Yes _cara mia,_ whatever YOU want to do. Shop? Travel? Whatever" He was rewarded with a beaming smile from the woman in his arms.

Cam clapped Daniel on the back, "you guys want one week or two? I know you have leave time available. Just let me know and I will do the paperwork for you."

Vala looked curiously at Cam around Daniel, "Two weeks and why does it matter to you? "

Cam grinned and said "don't want the band breaking up!" as he walked to the door. They could hear him muttering about no more 4 am phone calls as he closed the door and walked away.

"Darling do you mean it? I get to choose anything? Vala wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck and got lost in his blue eyes. She had to visibly pull herself together. "Darling, if I want to go back to your apartment and have constant hot sex with you that will be ok?"

Daniel blushed a bit and had to clear his throat. "Uh not sure about the constant part, but uh, yeah, uh huh, that would be fine, if that is what you want."

"Damn it Daniel…I don't want one of us making the decisions, we both need to participate." Vala pushed out of Daniel's arms and walked across the room with her back to him. "We need to talk, discuss, and agree on what we will do when." Vala still had her back to him. Daniel walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders; he leaned down and kissed her hair.

"Vala I want to take you to my apartment and spend days in bed with you, I want to show you how much I love you, and I want to be thoroughly loved by you.' He turned her into his arms and looked into her eyes. "if that is what you want too?" He gave her a slight half smile, his blue eyes twinkling. He slid a hand up her shoulder to cup her face as he looked deeply in her eyes.

"Please tell me that you aren't messing with me and that it is what you want too?" He leaned in and kissed her lips gently. "_Cara mia_, tell me you want me, tell me you need me, tell me you love me because I have completely fallen in love with you." Daniel couldn't believe he just said that, he meant it but had been saving it for a candle-lit dinner not his musty office.

Vala looked into Daniel's eyes and nuzzled his hand. "Daniel, _MY_ Daniel, don't you know my heart and soul has been yours for a long time now? You intrigued me when we first met on the Prometheus, so very handsome but not vain about it, you had compassion for others not simply concern for yourself. That is rare in the galaxy. When I came to the SGC, it was because you intrigued me. The more time I spent with you the more I came to love you. I have been in love with you since you rescued me from the Ori ship after Adria was born. I wanted you to take her, but you wanted to save me. No one ever wanted to rescue me the way you did. You knew me, all of my lies, thieving ways, history, and still you wanted to protect ME." Vala took a step back and looked Daniel squarely in the eye. "I love you too, Daniel Jackson."

It was a wonderful two weeks!

Finis or just the beginning?

_A/N: I hope you enjoyed this and aren't too disappointed by this last chapter (I wasn't totally pleased with it =P)_


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